Second Generations
by NymphsOfOlympus
Summary: Rebecca Wade, Ben Wade's secret 16-years-old daughter, is found severly dehydrated and wounded near the Evan's ranch. The Evans take her in and heal her. When Rebecca finds out who is nursing her back to health, how can she face the gorgeous pair of blue eyes that are William's again, knowing that her Pa is responsible for Dan Evan's death? Rated M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Hullo gang!**

**Here is the first chapter of a western and romance between Rebecca, Ben Wade's secret daughter, and William Evans. Don't worry, I don't want it to be filled with fluff but more like adventure!**

**This story is inspired from the movie "3:10 To Yuma", which is an AMAZING western and I highly recommend you to see it! I may not remember ALL the details of the movie (eye colours, ages), but this is fiction.**

**Please enjoy, review and watch the movie if you haven't already!**

I slumped over the arid desert sand, panting heavily. I couldn't go any further. My head was throbbing violently, my lungs were bursting with effort and my left leg had a long, nasty gash that was intense summer heat was viciously attacking me and I knew I only had an hour or two left before losing consciousness and then dying.

_So, this is the fate of the great Rebecca Wade? Left to rot in the scorching heat, alone, in some desert? _I thought mockingly. Plus, very few people knew of my existence. My father, the mighty Ben Wade, obviously; Father Jackson, who had raised me as his own as a sort of experiment, to try to "purify" my father of his sins throughout me; and perhaps Charlie figured out the Ben Wade had a child somewhere. Well, anyways, Father Jackson died last year of tuberculosis and rumour has it that Charlie was shot by Pa himself by a train going to Yuma…

A furious will to live took over my body, forcing me to get up, trembling, hesistantly. Nearly to collapse afterwards, head swimming, because that gash was bleeding again. But I had passed the limits of desesperation. My survival was at stake here. What would I have given to have another mean of transport! _A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse! And some water!_ Two days ago, at a saloon, I had got into a bar fight and put three men into unconsciousness before a rancher had tried to stab me. I hadn't moved quickly enough, resulting into this deep wound in my left leg. I had quickly hobbled out of there, only to realize that all the horses and their satchels had been stolen. Grimacing against the severe pain, I had run away as the entire town had turned against me, into the desert.

_And here I am. _My throat and tongue were dry from no drinking since two entire days in the desert. But somehow I urged myself forwards, a pathetic bundle of limbs shuffling somewhere, too tired and weak to cry or whimper. Suddenly, _gurgle, gurgle_.

What was that?

_Gurgle, gurgle._

No… Could it be…?

_Gurgle, gurgle._

The sound of running water?

_Gurgle, gurgle._

Hallelujah! I raised my head, and sure enough, behind these rocky formations was a river, 500 meters away. And there was also a big groupments of houses, which I guess was a ranch, even furter away. Excited, I pushed myself forwards, tongue parched, to dive into that river. But after 200 meters of steady hobbling, my nausea was worse than before and my heart was hurting by hammering itself against my ribcage. I was paralyzed with pain and exhaustion, and that little sprint had worsened it. My bad leg gave away, and I collapsed like a rag doll on the harsh, hard, unwelcoming soil. I tried to take deep breaths but something - I think panic - was blocking my throat so I inhaled with difficulty.

In an instant, a man with a large cowboy hat, sitting on a horse, was in front of me. He seemed extremely suprised to see me here.

"Help!" I croaked, with a last bolt of energy. Before my vision shut down, I saw him jump of his horse and crouched besides me, his flop of thich black hair covering his worried blue eyes. I closed my eyes, but I could still hear "_Ma'am? Ma'am?_" But it all sounded like a dream, and I remember my last thought being, "_Whatever he does with me, I have no more energy for myself_". And then it was all dark.

_The hot desert wind was bringing up sand, making it whirl around the place. The sand would go everywhere, on my dress, incrust itself on my shoes and in my hair. However, I was still sitting very straight, on a rocking chair on the porch of Father Jackson's house. When he had seen the man from a distance, he had refused that such an evil thing to be allowed in his house. But the porch was fine, though._

"_So, how old are you, missy?" The man asked, his eyes crinkling as they smiled for themselves._

"_Six years old. I'm old enough to know what to do for myself." I stated slightly arrogantly but mostly stubbornly, raising my head in slight defiance._

"_That's the spirit!" The man's laughter boomed. "That's my little girl all right!"_

"_Little girl?" I spat. "I ain't so little!"_

"_Ferocious, too! I'm liking this little missus more and more!" He suddenly lowered his voice and leaned towards me. "Do you know why I came here, to see you?" I shook my head. "Well, Rebecca, I am your father!" I widened my eyes with shock. I knew Father Jackson tried to act like a father figure to me, but physically we were too different._

"_But you can't say it to anyone… except Father Jackson, of course. Otherwise you put yourself in grave danger. Some people say I am a bad man, so they could hurt me thoughout you."_

_I gave… Pa… a quizzical look. "And are you a bad man?"_

_Father Jackson came beind us, shuffling his feet towards us. "It depends…" He looked at the bag full of cash that Pa had handed to him as soon as he had arrived. "All of this goes into raising your child?" Pa nodded. "How many men did you kill to access this?" Father Jackson asked, his tone more severe. "Enough to protect my baby." Father Jackson hummed pensively._

"_Very well. I will take care of Rebecca and educate her until she is of age. She must be pure, unlike you." I was suprised by Father Jackson for his harsh words, but Pa didn't seem even fazed._

"_Perfect. And I even have a little present for you Rebecca." He searched inside his pocket, before handing out a book. He passed it to me. The book was leather-bound, and rich golden lettters spelled out "BIBLE"._

"_That's one of the most important things you'll need, missus. You"ll need it to pray for me and to forgive me of my sins. Goodbye." He left, and Father Jackson was eyeing the book with approval. But for me, this book was even more precious, because it was the first present from my father._

_The dream shifted without warning. I was watching all my memories of the visits of my was one were I was 10, when he offered me my first and only pistol, the one where I was 12 were he complimented me on my looks and said "With these pretty black curls, you look just like your mother." When I was 14, then 15. His visits were increasing, and when I asked him why, he replied "Because soon I might not be there anymore. Prisons take time to escape from, you know." He had said it in a humourous tone, but something deep in his eyes betrayed him._

_Finally, when I was sixteen and Father Jackson only had a few days left to live, Pa came. He spared Father Jackson one glance before saying "That man will die soon, Rebecca. You're gonna be alone in this world. Take this," he handed me a lot of cash, "and go try to make a decent living out of yourself. But if you ever need me, really need me, if your life is in danger, try to find me. Listen to rumours, chit-chat, anything to locate me. I will help you." Then, before leaving abruptly, he handed me a hat, a cowboy hat that I was now constantly wearing._

_This is what I was doing. Rumour had it that the infamous Ben Wade was coming back to the Evans ranch to make sure that everything was OK two years after the events near that train going to Yuma, that the promises had been kept. I needed my Pa's help, as I had been robbed numerous times and apparently a lone unmarried lady was a bad sign._

_I wanted to be part of Pa's criminal gang._

**Like it? Hate it? Just tell me all about it by REVIEWING it!**

**\- NymphsOfOlympus -**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sad... because no reviews yet! This is quite disappointing... But, paradoxally, writing this is easy, fluent, nearly effortless. Wierd, right? Well, here is chap 2! :)**

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Time flew in my darkness, so I didn't know for how long I had been out cold. I was nearly comatose, and everything evolved around me with a dream-like quality. I was constantly swimming in and out of reality… I couldn't seperate illusions from memories… A man's gorgeous blue eyes…. A curl of blonde hair escaping from a strict schoolteacher-y kind of bun… A pack of wild dogs, chasing me, snarling, snapping at my ankles… A vivid red sunset that set fire to the grass, and the heat, the unbearable, agonizing heat… And forever my Pa, looking over me, repeating "_I will help you_"... "_I will help you_"... "_I will help you_"...

My eyes flew open, registered the raw light, and fluttered in discomfort. Unfortunately, my head was already awaken too, and the steady pounding came again, but slower this time. It still made me have a blistering headache. I groaned, and in result I heard a soft woman's voice saying, "Ah, you're awake. Would you like some water?" I tried to nod. Seconds later a clear, cool fluid was moisterizing my throat again. I needed so much water that I forced the glass to tip, making its entire contents drown me. I choked violently and the woman said "Careful. You've been severly dehydrated, you have to take it easy."

I opened my eyes for real this time. A woman, no older than 40, was sitting on a chair besides my bed. She had golden hair, artistically arranged into a neat bun. Her eyes, a clear blue, met mine and she smiled. She took a damp cloth and washed my face softly, before asking, "So, what's your name?"

"Rebecca," I whispered.

The woman frowned. "Sorry, I didn't catch that. She leaned forwards. "Rebecca," I tried harder this time.

"And you have no last name?"

Panic seized me. If she heard my last name, I'd be thrown out, or even shot on the spot. People _really_ didn't like Ben Wade. I just shook my head rather unconvincingly, and if the woman seemed to accept it, I knew she knew I had lied.

"Well, Rebecca, you are very lucky that my son found you lying in the dirt last week. Otherwise you would have been good for the coyotes and the vultures."

"A.. a week?" I croaked.

"Yes. You were severly dehydrated, wounded deeply in your left leg, and were delirious and feverish when we brought you back to consciousness. This is the first time that we have a proper conversation."

"Thank you," I murmered.

"Thank _you_," the woman rectified. "It's so nice to look after a pretty young woman like you, and not after rough men!" She laughed softly at her joke. "I'm Alice Evans, by the way. Would you like to wash up?"

I smiled gratefully. It had been weeks since my last bath, and I yearned to get rid of the terrible stench I was emmiting. I sat up quiclky, but my head started to swim. "Ooooh," I warned. Alice seemed ready for that, and brought up a bucket where I threw up my bile. She held my hair out of the way all the time.

"You have to be careful when you get up," she warned me. "Your left leg really isn't strong enough to carry half your weight yet, so steady yourself on me as we go to the bathroom. Ready?"

Our mini journey to the bathroom, only 10 meters away, took a good 3 minutes, and several retching sessions. Pain flared up in my left leg whenever I'd use it to steady myself, but I gritted my teeth and continued. In the bathroom, the bath was already warm and ready. Alice helped me to strip off my clothes, to my great discomfort. I tried to hide myself but she just smiled at me and eased me into the bath, having no problems with female nudity. She saw my embarassment, though, and added soapy things in the bath to cover the surface with foam. I was shocked of the state of my body: I could count my ribs and my nails were dirty, yellow and chipped.

I had no notion of time, but I felt myself relive in that bath. Alice would sing or hum softly, and I just closed my eyes in pleasure. All the pain of these last days seemed to dissappear in the warm, inviting water. My limbs tuned to liquid, and I let myself be turned over as Alice brushed my hair, which she found beautiful, and clean my nails. I was, for once, truly at peace with myself in a strangers house God knows where, being washed by a nice woman I had only met 10 minutes ago.

Then Alice helped me to dress. She looked at a corset, then back to my stomach, and said, "You don't need one of these. You're too thin already!" As if on cue, my belly rumbled angrily. "Of course you're hungry!" She helped me back in bed after dressing me in a grey and red dress, and then came back with a jar of cool water, some bread and meat. I chewed the food merrily and quickly. A bit too quickly; I hadn't eaten for days, so I was liable to vomit again. Alice forced be several times to slow down and take it easy. As I swallowed on last time, I felt my eyelids droop steadily. Alice understood immediently, and made me lie on the bed in a comfortable position. I fell asleep before she finished saying "Sleep, Rebecca".

When I woke up, the light was less intense and I deducted that we were in late afternoon. I looked around the room, but there was no-one. The room was simply furnished, but I found it quite beautiful. This certainly wasn't a poor farmer's house.

I thought again about the morning's conversation. _Alice Evans_… _Evans_… _Evans_… It rang a bell, somewhere, but I couldn't find why. The answer was on the tip of my tongue, but whenever I thought about it too much, it vanished. Slightly frustrated but also worried, I found my Bible and started to read a few random passages.

Hours flew by, and by the time Alice came up to my room there was very little sunlight left and I had finished the entire jug of water.

"You're awake. That's good. Do you feel strong enough to come have supper with us?" Alice asked.

"Yes, thank you. I might need a bit of help down the stairs, though." I waved vaguely around my leg.

"Of course. Use these crutches." As we slowly walked down the stairs, Alice started chatting amiably.

"This is the main infrastructure of our ranch. On your left, there are two barns, on your right, there are the stables, and behind us is the silo and the storage house." Or, "Sorry that we're eating this late, it doesn't happen very often but William had to find some cow that wandered off."

"William? Is he the man with black hair and blue eyes?" I asked. So I wasn't hallucinating? Such beauty existed?

"Yes, my eldest son. He's 17, now. He's the one that found you…"

I started to blush. Alice was looking at me in a queer fashion, so I changed the subject. "You have other children?" I asked as we were passing the doorframe of the living room.

"Yes, Mark, the youngest and smallest."

"I ain't small!" A voice argued. It belonged to a boy no younger than 12, with floppy brown hair and warm brown eyes. "Is she the girl that was lying on our land?" He asked, slightly accusingly. I didn't correct him, though. It was the truth.

Alice shook her head indulgently at him. "Rebecca here is a young woman seeking hospitality. Be nice and polite with her. He didn't mean to offence you, Rebecca."

"None taken!" I smiled at the boy, and he smiled back. "It's the truth, I was just dying there…" An uncomfortable silence settled as I knew everybody was thinking _WHY WAS SHE LYING THERE? _Mark, forever the gentleman, showed me to my seat. We sat down in silence, waiting for the fourth person to come and say grace. Mark and I attempted small talk and exchanged a few jokes, but we could see that Alice was obviously quite tense and worried. Her brow was creased and she kept on stealing a few glances on the outside. She was starting to nervously tap on the wooden table when we heard the door swing open. Relief gushed out of Alice's face and she stood up abruptly, rushing to the hallway.

"Where have you been?" I heard her nervously whisper. "We've been waiting for you for over an hour! I was so worried!"

"Sorry, Ma. The lone wandering cow actually managed to get others enrolled in her little rebellion. They walked in seperate directions for miles." A deep, poised voice replied.

"You could have warned me…" Alice said accusingly.

"Um… I was really busy. So, where's our little protégée? Still unconscious? Feverish? Delirious?" He seemed genuinely concerned.

"She's just here!" The mother appeared in the doorway. "Rebecca, I'd like you to meet my eldest son, William. William, this is Rebecca.

I rose my head and my breath hitched. Standing in the doorway, half-hidden by the shadows, was the famous William with that flop of dark hair and these gorgeous blue eyes, piercing straight though my soul.

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**Tell me all about it, if you liked it or not, and why!**

**\- NymphsOfOlympus -**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well I have absolutely no idea if someone is actually reading this, but oh well! The show must go on! :)**

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**WILLIAM POV**

I nearly stumbled when I met her gaze. The world stopped turning for a second, a second that stretched on for aeons. She looked different then when I found her, crumpled and dying, in the desert, but was equally beautiful.

I had been very suprised at first to find her there, not because she was on our land, but because she radiated beauty and grace that I thought I had found an ancient, fallen goddess. Here she seemed less wild, more tamed, with these endless locks of shimmering black hair tumbling over her shoulders, her clean, pale face, that cute little upturned nose and these dark, dark eyes that were like warm, liquid liquorice.

She also seemed rather suprised by my apperance, judging by the minuscule gasp, the widening eyes, and the heaving… um… and beautiful…. bosom. My cheeks reddened at the thought, so instead I tried to smile at her.

"Welcome, Rebecca," I tried to say nonchalantly, not to give any clued to my family upon the instant endearment I possessed towards Rebecca.

"Thank you, William," she replied gracefully, with a little nod. "Thank you for finding me, thank you for bringing me to safety."

I sat down and my Ma started grace. "We thank you, our Lord, for the food that is on the table tonight. We also thank you for bringing us Rebecca, and for her rapid recovery. Amen."

I looked at my Ma during a few minutes, analyzing the sheer joy radiating from her face. She saw Rebecca as the daughter she never had, and a sort of replacement as the fourth family member, ever since Pa died.

However, my gaze would always shift back to Rebecca. Something about her, her aura perhaps, or that wonderful crimson and grey dress that hugged her at the right places, forced my eyes to be glued to her. During small talk and the endless conversations between all of us, she sometimes stole a glance towards my direction, before meeting my eye and we would both turn our eyes away. We were playing a game, dancing on a tune none of us recognized.

We started to speak about law and crimes, when Rebecca suddenly seemed very interested. She seemed to brace herself before asking, on a neutral tone, "Isn't the greatest criminal of the West Ben Wade? Does anyone know where he is?"

Just like that, the friendly atmosphere was shattered and we all froze. Ma and Mark looked at me worringly, as I felt conflicting emotions rising within me. I wasn't specially furious at Ben Wade; but his name brought back horrifying emotions I would rather forget.

I clenched my cutlery so tight my knuckles became white. "We do not speak his name here," I growled. I immediently regretted my behaviour, because Rebecca gulped, her eyes fearful, and whispered "Sorry." I couldn't bear seeing her scared and being the object of her fear.

I tried to win her back. "No, it's just that Ben Wade has… done business with our family, in a way. Rumour has it that he is heading here right now, to make sure that… promises were kept," I explained.

Rebecca still looked confused. "Pa gave is life to escort him to a train, in exchange of money," piped Mark. I sighed. Mark needed to learn discretion.

Rebecca seemed struck by lightning. Her fork clattered on the table and she seemed shell-shocked. She tried to appear casual, but it was crystal clear that the news did not leave her indifferent.

I tried to reassure her. "Don't worry about Wade, he won't bring harm upon this family. He's, in a certain way, our guardian angel", I explained with a hint of sarcasm.

She didn't seem particularly reassured, though. The rest of the dinner was ruled by a hint of awkwardness, even though we tried to do small talk. To be honest, I was relieved when it ended. Rebecca asked Ma if she could go outside to breath fresh air. As she was leaving, Ma signaled me to go outside too, to make sure that she was fine.

I stepped outside. Rebecca was wrapped up in a blanket, looking up at the stars. I walked silently up to her, ready to tap her shoulder, when I realized that her face was streaked with tears. So I just awkwardly stood there, not sure of what to do while she was sobbing. Until she said, "William?" and turned around.

"Um.. right.. Hi!" I stammered. "I was just… like, the...the barn and… um, well...like… animals need hay….. um…. just going to be on my way…Sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." She smiled at me.

"Where do you come from?" I asked her abruptly.

She seemed quite taken aback. There was a long silence, before she muttered, "I don't know. I have no idea what I was doing, coming here. I only remember my name."

"Amnesia," I whispered, before shivering from the cold. Rebecca saw that and handed me her blanket. "You don't need it?" I asked.

"No." She replied fiercly, her black eyes looking defiantly into mine. "I'm stronger than you think." She looked at me for a moment, an internal struggle visibly tearing her up. I was utterly focused on the way her hair would catch the moonlight and gleam, or how she would stand very straight, or how she would chew her lip and look deep into me eyes. I was completely mesmerized by hers, they were so profound and endless and deep, I was losing myself in them. Finally, she opened her mouth and said "I love you, William. I will always love you, till death do us part."

Well, at least that's what I hoped she would say. Instead, she said something quite strange: "I'd like to ride again."

"But your leg…" I mumbled.

"Exactly. I don't want to walk, but ride. It would be less painful."

"How about tomorrow? We could try going round the land a bit…" She nodded.

She was still quite tired, and started to sway.

"We should go inside." I offered her my arm, and she took it grudgingly. I inwardly grinned as I felt that she was quite the warrior.

As we were walking towards the door, she asked "Don't you need to feed the hay to the animals first?" she asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"You're my priority," I said quickly. Rebecca hitched her breath and I realized what I had just said, before blushing crimson. I was about to explain when I figured I'd better not embarrass myself any further. My Ma was waiting for us on the porch, looking at us with affectionate eyes. I knew what it must look like from outside eyes, a pretty woman being walked to the door by a man, holding her arm. I ignored the thoughts quickly before my cheeks would be hot enough to barbecue sausages on them.

I helped her inside the house. Remembering her sudden burst of intrest in Ben Wade at dinner, I tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, we'll make sure Wade never meddles with this family ever again."

Unfortunately, this only seemed to unsettle her even more. She smiled quickly, before casting her eyes downwards and walking hurriedly to the steps. Her foot caught itself in the middle and she sprawled all over them.

"Let me help you!" I cried out impulsively. This was so unlike me, this gallant gentleman.

"I'm fine thank you!" She scrambled up the last steps and ran into her room, before shutting the door.

I turned around to see Mark looking at me with confusion. I shrugged my shoulders. Women.

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**I know that last word sounds mean said like that, but I want William to think that women are fragile and bla bla bla. It's for the story. :)**

**Review?**

**~NymphsOfOlympus~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! (Well, I believe there are people out there, only they are not reviewing... Oh well, it won't do any good to wallow in self-pity). Sorry I've been off the radar for a few months now. Here come the (much-awaited?) chapter 4! Please remind your generous souls that I haven't seen the movies for a few years now... Please tell me if there are any big errors compared to the film (except their ages... I changed that a bit). Here goes nothing!**

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**REBECCA POV**

In the morning I woke up dishevelled, tired and angry. Not the perfect cocktail to start your ordinary day. William's revelations had kept me up all night, where I alternated weeping softly and helplessly in my pillow and violently punching it. Poor pillow.

I knew I must have looked like a mess, and I was right. My reflection in the mirror could have made a grown man run away. Puffy, red eyes, a bloated nose the same colour, deep dark circles under my eyes, wild hair straining to escape in every direction, and a constantly furrowed brow.

Fool, fool, FOOL! I remembered why "Evans" was so familiar to me now. How ironic…. God really did have a sense of dark humor. Have some family care after the daughter of all their problems and their grief…

I heard steps coming towards my… _the_ bedroom. It was probably Alice, and I sure didn't want her to see me in such a state. Quickly, I splashed the entire contents of my water jug on my face, rubbed it well and closed my eyes.

Alice came in. "Rebecca, darling -" I internally winced -" would you like help to get ready?" She smiled gently at me and did not say anything about my wet face. I was feeling so incredibly guilty anyways that I blabbered: "No, thank you Mrs Evans. I just splashed a bit of water on my face, it's so warm. I can manage to get clean and clothed, thank you."

She frowned. "Are you sure? Would you like a bit more medecine?" Her caring tone nearly made me scream out with frustration. Why did I have to land on the sweetest woman, the funniest little boy and the gorg-, no handsomest man in all of the West, but who were the innocent victims of my father's troubles? I headed towards the bathroom, but not before I heard Alice say, "What happened to the pillow?".

Bathing was certainly not a simple affair. I tried to use as little of soap and water as possible. I felt so much like a fraud that I couldn't bear to look at myself and my shame in the mirror. Also, as much as I had tried to convince Alice, my wound on my leg was still very crippling, and her help was very useful. Alice had laid out a pretty blue frock with small white flowers printed across. I felt very uncomfortable wearing it, imagining that she must wash and iron it after I would be finished with it. If they knew my identity, they would probably spit on it and burn it, I mused darkly.

As I got out of my room for breakfast, I decided that I would run away from the Evans ranch, listen to the gossip in town and lie low in the area, trying to win money. There must be small jobs for me… And if there weren't, selling my body was always a possibility…

The thought of that deeply repulsed me, but not as much as betraying the confidence of my saviors. Of William.

Thinking of him constricted my chest. There was something about him that made me slightly weak in the knees. Which annoyed me a great deal. How was I supposed to run away if I was so feeble in his presence?

At breakfast, William kept shooting me odd glances, which made me uneasy. My pitiful exit last night must have ridiculed me in his eyes. I sighed, then asked, "William? Could we go riding today?" I batted my eyelashes a bit, and gave him one of my most dazzling smiles. The game was thick, but I wasn't completely stupid. His attraction to me was clear as a crystal glass. Deep down, I was disgusted by my actions. Manipulation, twisted games, exploited generosity… when would this all end?

William seemed in a bit of a daze, but not in the right way. Instead of being ready to jump on a sword for me, he seemed very confused. Alice looked at me sternly. "Rebecca, I'm not sure that's a very good idea. Your wound certainly isn't fully healed. Riding would only make it worse."

I flashed he a quick smile. "Oh, no, Mrs Evans-"

"Please, Alice,"

"- Alice, then. I'm quite sure I'll bare it. Anyway, I adore riding."

Awkward silence. I internally facepalmed.

"Does this mean you've recovered some of your memory?" Mark asked hopefully.

Alice and William both looked at me intently. The similarities between both if their gazes was frankly disturbing. William's had something different, extra, that must have come from his father. Dan Evans…. A man set out to haunt me.

I was determined to let this family free, and escape from their hospitality as soon as possible, without them getting hurt by me. And to do this, they must never know who I was.

"I had a dream, this night," I lied smoothly, making sure to keep my face a mask of slight confusion. "And I was riding. Alone. And it felt good." I smiled sadly.

Alice looked pensive. I hoped not to add anything, but William seemed determined to keep me going. "Do you remember where you where? With whom? Where were you heading?"

"The dream wasn't that clear," I replied curtly, slightly irritated at his pushiness.

"But surely there's something else. Are you even sure it even was a memory?"

"I'm not sure," I retorted.

Alice frowned at her son. "William…"

"Not an illusion?" he probed on.

"It was fuzzy!"

"That's not enough to go on, Rebecca!"

"William!" cried out Alice, scandalized. Mark was looking at the exchange with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea!"

"You'll have to do better!"

"Why? How?" I shouted. In pure hypocrisy, I was infuriated that he didn't believe me.

"Because! Because you need to know where to go! You have a family, parents, brothers, sisters," his voice caught, "perhaps even a fiancé, that are worried sick for you!" I closed my eyes and smiled humorlessly, shaking my head. "I'll help you find them, if you only let me!" he practically roared.

The silence crashed down on us. William was still standing up, his arm stretched out towards me in a pleading way, still catching his breath. But I couldn't, wouldn't give in. I had to be made of iron now, for their sake.

"I've told you all I know about myself." I recited calmly. "But I see that I have outstayed my welcome."

"Don't be preposterous," William sank back to his seat loudly.

"William, hush." Alice intervened. She looked back at me and met my determined gaze. She must have seen or felt something, or perhaps it was female comprehension, but I saw her bow her head slightly. "Rebecca… I respect your choice and it's clear you're uncomfortable in this house. We won't force you to stay if you have no wish for it."

"But I want you to stay!" whined Mark.

I smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you."

I looked up at William, half-triumphant. I expected him to give in, to follow his mother's wishes. But what I saw surprised me.

"No." He slowly lifted his head, and his face was the epitome of defiance and pure resolution at the same time. My heart sped up, by fear or anger I did not know. "No," he repeated. "I will not let you leave this house until you are recovered. Can you even see yourself? Imagine the scenario: a young, wounded woman with no money whatsoever… No."

His last comment hit home. I wasn't that weak and pathetic, surely? I was after all the daughter of the fearsome and tough Ben Wade, I must have inherited some of his strength...no? Under William's sturdy gaze, a vicious mix of helplessness, confusion but also frustration bubbled.

"William, enough." Alice's sternly. "We shall not keep Rebecca… hostage against her will. I think that-"

Completely out of his character, William exploded: "No! On Father's grave, Rebecca, you shall not leave this house until you are healed. On Father's grave."

Shell-shocked, I turned to see Alice, whose face was slowly but surely losing all colour. Mark didn't look much better, mouth slightly agape and even looked quite queasy. William, however, didn't back down. He slowly stood pushing himself up with his knuckles fixed on the table.

"Mother, I believe it's high time I became head of this household. As Father had wished it." He seemed quite taken aback by what he just said. He turned and started to move out of the living room, before stopping and think for a moment. He hesitated slightly before opening his mouth and stated firmly: "Under this roof, my word is law."

I emitted a half-strangled snort of disbelief. All the eyes that had been on William now turned to me. I also slowly got up, ignoring the pain but had to sway slightly on the spot. "You cannot be serious."

"Rebecca…" Alice warned me.

"What?" I saw her wince and shake her head. "You can't be taking him seriously?"

"This doesn't concern you, Rebecca-" William stated in a deep voice.

"What William means, is being 17 and the eldest son with no father, by the laws of this country, he has every right to be head of the household… and to apply a few laws. Anyways, we owe everything to William." Alice murmured rapidly.

Mark nodded slowly, though he seemed extremely disconcerted by his brother's reactions.

"Perhaps he does… wield some power over his family since he is the eldest man," I spat in disgust, and William visibly recoiled. "Yet he holds no such influence on me."

William sighed, and his shoulders slumped. I saw the fight unravel within him. "Rebecca, it's for your own good. Less than two weeks ago, you were dying in the desert. You're tired, you're wounded in the leg, and you were severely dehydrated. You remember nothing, and the dreams you have may not mean anything. You've got no money, no transportation…. And you're a woman. Vulnerable."

What a charmer. "Thank you for reciting my flaws with surgical precision". My voice dripped with irony and bitterness. "I believe I should show myself the way out."

Not daring to leave them time to stop me, I regally hobbled out of the room. My meagre belongings were already packed, since my Bible was safely in my dress pocket and Pa's cowboy hat was near the entrance. I was about to open the door when it opened itself, revealing a well-dressed redhead dandy that seemed quite surprised to see me. I just stood there, waiting for him to move out.

But instead of doing so, he slowly leaned towards me and furrowed his grow. His eyes scrutinized me, and I started to feel very uncomfortable. I suddenly realized what he was doing, identifying me. I heard Alice arrive and see the man. "Mr Butterfield, I'm afraid this isn't a good time -"

I winced. _This was Butterfield? _He brutally jerked back and gasped with shock. Then without warning, he punched me straight in the stomach.

It completely knocked the stuffing out of me. Groaning, I reeled back and then promptly fell, graceless. Alice screamed. Mark screamed. William came running. Through my pain, I could see that Butterfield seemed ready for round 2. Instinctively, I curled myself in a ball and protected my head.

Thankfully, Alice stepped in. "Mister Butterfield! What have you done? Do not touch her!" Alice seemed out of her usual self.

But Butterfield wasn't fooled. "What? You're protecting _her_?" His incredulous voice was shrill.

"What?" William shouted. I could hear Mark start to cry at the back.

Even if Butterfield hadn't punched me with great force, he did punch my stomach right after eating. Black spots started to swim before my eyes.

"What do you mean, _her?_" William demanded.

Oh, no, no. They couldn't know who I was. I was starting to feel sick at the prospect. The pain in my belly had spread out. My fall had perhaps opened my leg wound again, since I felt warm, too warm, and terribly queasy.

"You don't see who she is?" Butterfield sidestepped Alice and roughly grabbed my arm, jerking me up brutally. My stomach rolled again. Horror seeped through me as I knew what he was going to say. No, no, no…

"No, no, no…" I moaned.

William was suddenly very quiet. Alice was still shouting at Butterfield to unhand me. Mark, still crying, not understanding.

Blood loss made me dizzy.

"Can't you see? She looks every bit like Wade!"

Butterfield and I would have made a wonderful duo, since the name and my bile were ejected at the same time, in perfect synch. Vomit now adorned Butterfield's shoes.

The effort was too much, however. I slumped backwards, willingly falling into unconsciousness. Anything to avoid the stunned silence that had taken place, and William's still and cold posture.

* * *

**There you go! I hope you've enjoyed... Please review to prove that you're alive!:)**


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